


Heart Broken

by TheRussianKat



Series: Charthur Modern AU [1]
Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Arthur Morgan, Bisexual Charles Smith, But only a little, Mary Gillis Bashing, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:02:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23921269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRussianKat/pseuds/TheRussianKat
Summary: Arthur was more than happy to drink away his problems, but Charles was not about to let him get away with that
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Charles Smith, Karen Jones/Sean MacGuire
Series: Charthur Modern AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761667
Comments: 6
Kudos: 82





	Heart Broken

_‘You’re a goddamn fool Morgan,’_ he berated himself, _‘a soft hearted, blocked headed fool.’_ He took another drag of his cigarette, holding it in his lungs until it burnt before releasing a shaky breath. ‘ _Damn Mary and damn her father and damn her goddamn good for nothin’ fiancé.’_

He shook his head, as though the action may help the thoughts fall from his ears and leave him in peace. It was barely evening, the sun still glaring at him over the horizon as he sat on Blackwater pier. It was peaceful, a few couples and tourists milling about, the sound of the town faint in the background. He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, no doubt Hosea or Dutch checking up on him.

They had both warned him against meeting with her again. Dutch had even joked about locking him in the garage for the rest of the week to stop him seeing her, at least, he thought he was joking. He should have listened. He should have taken one look at Mary when he opened the door and slammed it in her face.

But he didn’t, and he was the idiot everyone liked to tell him he was.

Stubbing out his cigarette he pulled himself up. No sense wasting the whole evening sat on the pier wallowing in sorrow when he could spend the night drinking it into oblivion at a bar.

He trudged his way up the pier, pulling his phone from his pocket. 6 missed calls, 3 voice messages, 14 text messages. He scrolled through the texts; _Dutch, Dutch, Dutch, Hosea, Dutch again, John…aw shit, they pulled John into it._ Locking his phone again he jammed it back in his pocket leaving the messages unread, he _really_ needed a drink.

Macguires was by far not the best bar in town, but it was the only bar where Arthur knew he could drink his weight in whiskey and not get kicked out, he only hoped Karen was on the bar and not Sean. Aimless chatter was not what he needed right now.

The bar was blessedly quiet, only a couple of old coots at the bar and a young couple sat in the window. As he made his way to the bar he saw Karen appear through the service-door. “Hey Karen,” he greeted pulling himself onto one of the barstools. Her face lit up as she met his eye, but as she got closer her eyes narrowed and mouth twisted into a grimace.

“Oh no, I know that face, what’s happened?” she questioned, taking a bottle of whiskey from the top shelf and grabbing a couple of tumblers.

Sighing, Arthur leant against the bar not caring about the dampness seeping through his shirt sleeves “Just, my own stupidity catchin’ up with me is all,” he griped, taking the now filled whiskey glass with a sad smile, raising it in toast to clink against Karens.

They both knocked back their drinks, burning down their throats as they swallowed “What the hell is that stuff?” Arthur rasped, feeling the heat drop from his throat into his stomach “That stuff could take the paint off a car.”

Coughing into her fist, she grabbed the bottle again squinting at the label “Some shit Sean ordered,” she quickly re-shelfed it and grabbed a different bottle “said it’d make us a proper _pub_ , tastes like it’d blind someone. Here,” she poured the new bottle, a more than generous slug for each of them.

Slightly more cautious, they both sniffed the drink before taking a sip. “Now that, is what I needed,” Arthur smiled, this one more genuine, as he took another sip.

Humming in agreement Karen poured them both a top up before replacing the bottle on the shelf “So come on, tell me what’s got you all mopey faced. Not another hoity toity holier than thou Mary type was it?”

He lowered his head _, he really was a fool_. His silence appeared to be more than enough answer for Karen though, who slammed her glass down and stared at him, slack jawed.

“Oh Arthur! How many times does that woman have to stomp all over you for you to stop runnin’ back to her?!” she chastised softly, running her fingers over his where they still gripped the glass. “What happened this time?”

Still staring at the bar he gently tapped his fingers back against hers earning a tap in response, causing his lips to tug upwards. “She showed up yesterday askin’ for help getting’ her kid brother out of some club he joined. They didn’t seem to be doin’ no harm from what I could see, somethin’ to do with turtles,” he raised his drink again, but hesitated “you know how it is, Mary says jump and I-“

“Run straight off a cliff?” Karen finished for him.

Laughing hollowly, he nodded “Pretty much,” he drained his glass, eyes focused on it as he placed it back on the bar.

“Then what happened? She still here?” Karen asked softly, pushing her still mostly full glass towards Arthur.

“Then,” he swallowed, clenching his fist as he blinked “Then we ran into her dear father at the station, and he insisted they get the next train to New York…so she could get back to her _fiancé_ ,” he spat the last word, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

For a moment Karen was silent, long enough for Arthur to look up and check she was still there “Oh Arthur,” she started, placing her hand fully over his “You are a worth a thousand of that cow! She ain’t never deserved you, not back then and definitely not now!” her voice rose as she spoke, outrage lacing the words. She quickly grabbed the bottle, _the good bottle_ , and this time left it on the bar beside them after topping his drink.

They stayed that way, Arthur steadily getting the heavier side of tipsy as Karen nursed her own glass. The topic slowly drifted onto sunnier subjects as Arthur slipped away from sober. Around the fourth or fifth drink they were joined by a third person. Charles.

“Dutch send you to check on me?” Arthur grumbled as he turned to the other man.

“No,” Charles replied simply as he took the seat beside Arthur “Hosea did. He was concerned,” his brows furrowed as he spotted the half empty bottle of whiskey next to the other man.

“Don’t look so worried, it weren’t full when I got here,” Arthur stated quietly as he motioned to finish his drink. But before he could lift the glass there was a hand on his wrist stopping him. Spinning on his bar stool to glare at the larger man, trying fruitlessly to pull his arm from the others grip. “Now Charles, it ain’t polite to stop a man finishin’ his drink.”

Rolling his eyes, Charles released the smaller man’s wrist “Don’t be a fool Arthur, you’re better than this,” he reached past Arthur grabbing the bottle and placing it behind him, out of the other mans reach “Have you eaten?”

The question threw Arthur, pulling his attention away from his now absent drink “Naw, food wasn’t really a big part of my plan for tonight,” Arthur growled, trying to reach around Charles to retrieve the bottle but quickly found both his wrists being held. He began struggling against the grip but quickly stilled when he spotted Charles frown. There weren’t many men in this world who could take Arthur in a fight, but he was pretty certain than Charles could do it without breaking a sweat, and getting his ass beat was really not how he wanted to end his day.

Seemingly pleased at Arthurs surrender, Charles turned to Karen who was watching the exchange with wide eyes, “You know if anywhere’s doing food right now?” he asked, his tone surprisingly relaxed for currently incapacitating Arthur.

“Not much is gonna be open this late,” she thought for a moment, taking a sip of her own drink, “could get a pizza delivered here if ya like? It’s not great, but it’s pizza so it ain’t bad either.”

“Order a large of whatever they recommend and get yourself and Sean something as well,” Charles let go of Arthur and retrieved his wallet, pulling out $30 and handing it to Karen.

With that done he turned his attention back to Arthur, who was sat scowling pointedly not looking at either Charles or Karen. A petulant child came to mind. Getting up, Charles slapped him on the shoulder “Come on, we’re gonna play pool,” it wasn’t a question and Arthur was left to stare after him as he made his way over to the pool table and began examining cues. It wasn’t until Charles looked back at him and beckoned him over that he blinked back into reality and found himself approaching the other man.

He took the offered cue Charles held out to him “Look Charles, I really ain’t in the mood to play, just tell Hosea-“

“ _This_ isn’t for Hosea, he only asked me to find you,” that shut Arthur up “ _This_ is to take your mind off of whatever has you drinking yourself into next week.”

Arthur hadn’t known Charles long. They had met plenty of times in the past, working together on Dutch’s latest plans, but never sat down and really got to know each other. It wasn’t until Hosea had talked the large man into joining them on a more permanent basis that Arthur got any insight into him. Overall, Arthur liked him; he was straight forward, you ask him something - he answered you, you did something stupid - he called you on it. So now, looking at the man as he set up the pool table, Arthur couldn’t help but slightly lament not getting to know the man sooner.

“Fine, but if I win I get that whiskey back,” Arthur wagered as he chalked his cue.

It was Charles turn to look surprised, though it only lasted a brief second, the smile that replaced it didn’t seem to be going anywhere “Deal.”

He lost. He lost spectacularly. Nine rounds to zero and Charles was being infuriatingly humble about it. No wonder Charles had accepted his deal, the man was ridiculously good at pool, one round Arthur hadn’t even had a chance to approach the table as Charles went from break to clearing the table in under six minutes. But low and behold, even through the crushing defeat, Arthur found he was enjoying himself.

“It’s your turn,” Charles prompted, and if Arthur didn’t know better he would say the other man was smirking at him from behind his beer. Whiskey was still a ‘no-go’ but once they’d finished the pizza Charles had offered beer. Arthur had the sneaking suspicion that the beer may have been a small gesture of peace, or perhaps a metaphorical band-aid for his ego as he got well and truly decimated at pool.

“Oh good, see if I can pull this back shall I?” laughter lilting his voice as he readied up his shot. He was almost bent in half over the table as he looked for an angle that might actually pocket the ball he was aiming for. As he pulled the cue back, the gentle press of a hand on his back just above his belt caused him to lurch in shock, managing to pot the cue ball in the process. “That was a dirty move Mister Smith!” he accosted, turning so he was face to face with the other man.

Charles was definitely smirking now, hands held up in surrender as Arthur pointed accusingly at him “I didn’t mean to ruin your shot, have a free shot,” he gestured back towards the table, eyes still gleaming with mirth.

Making a show of leaning back into taking a shot, and throwing the occasional glare at Charles, Arthur couldn’t help but grin. Taking a breath, he pulled back the cue and just as he went to take his shot he felt the hand again, this time it was much firmer, more of a smack than anything. Jumping out of his skin he sprawled forward, catching himself on the table and sending most of the balls rolling.

Slowly, and dramatically - he was Dutch’s son after all, he raised himself back up brushing invisible dust from his shirt as he turned to look at the other man. Charles was laughing. It was quiet and he was halfheartedly trying to hide it behind his hand, but there was no doubt in the shaking shoulder and soft chuckles; Charles was laughing at him, and Arthur wasn’t the slightest bit angry.

“Oh I see, first you mess up my shot and now you’re laughin’ at me?” Arthur exclaimed, throwing his hands up not evening trying to hide his own laughter “You’re laughin’ at this poor, heartbroken fool! You’re a cruel bastard Mister Smith!”

Waving a hand as if dismissing Arthurs words Charles slowly composed himself, but kept his smile “It’s your posture, you lean over the table like a scared cat, you need to straighten your back to help control the shot,” he explained in his warm, low tones. Moving towards the table and making an attempt at putting the balls back to their original position.

Slightly dumbfounded Arthur crossed his arms “A cat?”

Humming in assent, Charles turned back to Arthur “A _scared_ cat, let me show you,” He gestured for Arthur to come back to the table “Take the position you had before.”

Rolling his eyes Arthur bent back over the table, suddenly very aware of his own body, the little hairs on the back of his neck and the gentle brush of his shirt against his skin with each breath he took. Trying to focus on his positioning, it was Charles voice that sent a shudder through him this time “I’m going to move you slightly okay?”

He must have been quite close, his hair prickling as the breath tickled his neck. Arthur nodded, keeping his eyes focused on the table. A large, warm hand was pressed to his lower back again, pushing his hips down. Then as that hand disappeared, another was felt on his collarbone pushing him so his back was straight. This hand didn’t disappear, instead its partner was suddenly moving on his shoulder and sliding down his arm pulling his elbow higher, changing the angle of the cue. The hands faded away and Arthur swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat. “Try the shot now,” Charles voice was quieter, softer than before.

He sunk the ball.

“Well, would ya look at that?” Arthur said as he straightened up, smiling as he looked at Charles.

Before Charles had a chance to respond, the service-door was flung open, banging loudly against the wall as Karen came through “Okay fellers, you’re goin’ to have to call it a night. It’s nearly 2am and I need to get to bed,” she declared, brandishing a broom at them. Then turning her attention solely to Arthur she added “You know I love ya Morgan, but please go home,” she pleaded.

“We’re goin, we’re goin,” Arthur insisted as he began to take their empty bottles to the bar, Charles helping with the remainder. Charles pulled his jacket on as Arthur said a quick farewell and heartfelt thanks to Karen pulling her into a hug before heading for the door after Charles.

The cold air hit them as they made their way into the street, Arthur suddenly regretting not bringing his own jacket. They walked in silence, comfortable enough in each other’s presence. He could see his apartment building getting closer and knew Charles would have to turn off towards the harbor any second. He could feel words getting stuck before he had figured out what he wanted to say. He had to say _something_. The building was getting closer.

“I’m headed down here, you going to be alright?” Charles asked, caring and patient and Arthur _really_ had to say something _now_. He nodded. “See you later then,” Charles farewelled, hesitating momentarily before turning to walk away from Arthur.

“Wait,” Arthur called, far too loud for the small distance between them, close enough that he was able to reach out and grab Charles wrist and pull the other man a little closer.

Charles was watching him, his dark eyes searching the smaller mans face for something “Arthur?” he prompted.

“You want to, err, join me for coffee?” he could feel the words shaking as they left his mouth.

“Coffee? Now?”

“Yeah, if you like?” _he was a damn fool_. He looked back up at Charles, finding the other mans eyes already on him. They were close. Only a few inches between them. He still had his hand on Charles arm.

“Was it true what you said earlier? You’re heartbroken?” Charles moved closer.

Wetting his lips, Arthur let go of the other man, huffing out a laugh at the question “Yeah, right now, I guess I am.” Arthur could feel Charles breath on his face.

“Then, I don’t think it’s a very good idea right now,” the words were barely a whisper as they left Charles lips, but they felt like ice as they sunk into Arthur.

_He was a stupid damn fool._

“But,” warm fingers were tilting his head up, forcing him to meet Charles eyes “how about tomorrow? Go get some sleep now, see how you feel in the morning,” his eyes kept flicking to Arthurs mouth “cos if we do this, I really don’t want it to be a one night thing okay?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Charles affirmed, then slowly leant forward placing a soft, warm kiss on Arthurs lips before pulling away just as slowly, taking a step away from the other man.

“You know what Charles,” Arthur began, a grin tugging at his lips “I am goin’ to hold you to that.”

Already starting to walk backwards, away from Arthur, a smirk plastered on his face, he said “I should hope so.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it, not much really happens...*laughs nervously*....but yeah, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed!  
> Fun Fact: it started out as a 500 word drabble....it kinda got away from me  
> I'm really sorry if this is showing up as a repost for people! I only just realised how to put it in a 'series' so had to repost it as the sequel just went up! I swear I'm not trying to squiff the algorithm


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